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22| The Final Promise

Friday| January 6th, 2017| Katerina

Nothing felt right anymore. The moment I choked those words out through my tears, I knew everything was going to change. All of us were out of it all morning. We couldn't function. How could we? I was leaving them with no idea of when I would be coming back or if I would be coming back.

By lunch, none of us could take it anymore.

"We need to talk," I announced, stopping in the middle of the hallway. "Let's go to the library. It's quiet there."

"Yeah. I don't think any of us are up for lunch today," Hunter said in agreement. I noticed his eyes were still red from crying.

Hayden and Eliana were unusually silent. Judging by the death grip she had on my hand, this was hitting her as hard as I expected it would. We'd only just found each other and now I had to leave her.

I tugged her along with me while the boys followed behind us. Most of the hallway was deserted by the time we stopped outside the library. The only people that ever came here were what our school deemed to be the 'social rejects.'

We headed inside and found an isolated place to sit near the back of the library. There was an ugly looking green couch pushed up against a window with equally ugly orange single chairs on the opposite ends of the low sitting table in the center. A furry white rug was spread across the floor underneath the table.

Eliana and I took the couch while the boys took the single seats. I draped my arm over her shoulders while she snuggled into my side, throwing her arm across my abdomen. The muscles in her upper arms were tense. I brushed my thumb up and down her arm before leaning down to kiss the top of her head.

"Relax," I whispered to her. "I'm still here."

"Not for long," she said brokenly.

"Why do you have to leave?" Hayden asked. His voice was gravelly.

His direct question tore my attention away from Eliana. "I can't tell you. If I could I would, but I have direct orders from my father to not disclose the information."

"You can't even tell us the reason you have to leave?" Hunter asked incredulously, shooting to his feet. "There's no way I'm taking that for an answer. We need to know why."

"I really can't tell you," I replied bitterly.

"Yes, you can," Eliana argued, pulling away from me. I go to reach for her, but she smacked my hand away. "We have the right to know. It's not like he'll know if you told us."

I ignored the slight sting from her slap. "Why are you mad at me? He would know if I told you. Cato and the others do have to report back to him. Lying would get them in severe trouble."

"I'm not mad, Kat. I'm upset. We don't know when we'll see you again. Don't you get it?"

"I get it, Ellie. Trust me. I really can't tell you why I have to leave and don't have the option to stay here. My father is the one that ordered me back home. I spent a good portion of the night arguing with Cato about leaving."

"You've ignored the orders to go home before. What makes this time different?"

"I'd be turning my back on my family." I took my gaze off her and focused on my hands resting on my legs. I curled my fingers into tight fists. "I don't turn my back on family. Ever."

"But you're turning your back on us." I shifted my eyes back to Eliana's. They were glistening with unshed tears, make the usual bright hazel turn into a muddy brown. "We need you just as they do." I need you as much as they do. That's what I really heard her say. "We're your family too."